James M Irvine

The Genealogy of Washington Irving James M Irvine

The creator of Rip van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving was America's first literary writer, and one of its greatest. He was also a well-travelled diplomat and a popular raconteur. His life has been the subject of several comprehensive biographies, but this is the first publication to be devoted solely to his Scottish ancestry, from the youngest son of a lowly crofter in a small island in Orkney, through the largest landowner in the Orkney Islands, back to (allegedly) the armour-bearer of King Robert the Bruce and the ancestor of nine Scottish kings.

The first part of this book is a transcript of the hitherto unpublished genealogy of Washington Irving written by his nephew Pierre M Irving while the celebrity was still alive. Being based in part on contemporary sources, this genealogy was very advanced for its time, and is still probably the most readable history of the surname ever written.

Part II of this book brings this research up-to-date, drawing on the much more extensive resources now available, including DNA test results. Some of the 19th century findings are confirmed but some are now shown to be misleading. Appendices add further background, including transcripts of the extensive correspondence between Scottish and American genealogists during the 1850s, and the provenance of gifts exchanged between Scottish lairds and the American author.